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I met Timothy at a fundraiser for protecting
Harp Seals, a battle I had mistakenly thought was already
won. That night I learned that there was a lot more to
Timothy than his fight to educate people about the plight of
Bears. He was concerned This morning I got a phone call. Timothy Treadwell is dead. He was killed by the bears he loved so much. He told us in so many ways that it was their home we were treading in, that they remained wild animals, and that he loved them that way. His death was a reminder of all he had said in his life, and I hope it won't darken the light he shed on the lives of those great animals. Timothy's girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, was
also killed in the attack. We'll miss them both. I have to add this to what I wrote. One of the stages of grief is anger, and mine is directed in several directions. Yes, I did feel anger that Timothy let this happen. I was angry that he gave people, opposed to or unaware of what he was trying to do, the ammunition to ridicule him. I was angry that I did not have a chance to get to know him better. I'm over that and now just sadness lingers. Now I'm angry at the press. These days I'm almost ashamed to have been a journalist. The distortions and lies being spread about Timothy's message are unfortunately typical of the news today. In an era where the stories are written and then facts are collected to support them I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it always dismays me. Did any of these so-called journalists ever even hear of Timothy Treadwell before this incident? Did they bother to read his book or see any of his videos? Why did they bother with the hours of interviews they did with the people who knew him? Did they ever listen to what they were saying? People are calling what Timothy did irresponsible and warning that others will come to harm doing what he did. We should be so lucky to live in a world where others follow his lead. He said time and again that what he did was dangerous. He warned people that if they were in bear country to stay at least a hundred yards away from them, and to use bear-proof food containers, not eat in their tents, and many other common sense suggestions. I have to think Disney's new movie "Brother Bear," will do more to foster misguided attempts to befriend bears than Timothy could ever have done. He warned people that bears are bears. I can picture his ghost pleading with the rangers not to kill the bear that killed him. I can see him crying in frustration because the powers that be never heard what he was saying. And then they killed a second bear. He's not here to be angry about these things, and would probably try to tell me that I shouldn't be angry, either. Bears are bears, bureaucrats are bureaucrats. He'd probably just tell me to do the best I can to keep his work going. I'm asking you to so the same. Grizzly People is alive, and needs your contributions to continue the work Timothy began. They can be reached at http://www.grizzlypeople.com. |
You've probably seen or heard of Timothy Treadwell's work.
You may not remember his name. He wrote the best selling
book "Among Grizzlies," and created, directed, filmed and
co-produced the Discovery Channel special "Grizzly Diaries."
He is the founder of "Grizzly People," and has been a
regular on The Late Show with David Letterman. He has also
been on CNN, NBC's "Dateline" and elsewhere, making his plea
for the protection of the North American grizzly.
with animals in the wild everywhere. His plea was poignant
and informed. He spoke with power, but was a gentle man in
the best meanings of the word. I had seen his photographs
and read his words, but I never realized until I met him
what a special person he was.